Hughes, who was in his eighth season with the Canucks after being selected by them in the first round (No. 7) of the 2018 NHL Draft, has 432 points (61 goals, 371 assists), the most by a defenseman in Vancouver franchise history, and 26 points (two goals, 24 assists) in 30 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He has 23 points (two goals, 21 assists) in 26 games this season, leading the Canucks at the time of the trade.
The 26-year-old defenseman had career highs of 92 points, 17 goals and 75 assists when he won the Norris two seasons ago, and was a finalist again last season, when he had 76 points (16 goals, 60 assists).
“One of if not the best defenseman in the league, so it’s awesome,” said Minnesota defenseman Brock Faber, who will likely be paired with Hughes. “It’s going to be an absolute treat because he’s terrible to play against, so having him on our side is going to be incredible.”
Wild captain Jared Spurgeon salivates at the idea of Hughes’ addition to the team’s power play, which is currently 10th in the League at 21.8 percent.
“When you watch him, just how he can break pucks out and create offense from the D zone, and obviously on the power play he’s a special player as well,” Spurgeon said. “He can make plays that are so hard look so easy to him with his skating, so, like I said, we’re excited to get him going here tomorrow, and bring him in.”
Hughes is in the fifth season of a six-year, $47.1 million contract ($7.85 million average annual value) he signed on Oct. 3, 2021, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season.
Guerin hasn’t been given any reassurances that Hughes will sign an extension when eligible on July 1, 2026, but he believes the quality of hockey being played and the opportunity to be Stanley Cup contenders this year will be enough to persuade him.
“Listen, you can’t make promises,” Guerin said. “And after the deal is done, talking to Quinn, and Quinn’s agent, I think Quinn will really like it here. He’s a hockey nut. He watches every game. He knows what’s going on in the League. Getting to know him through the 4 Nations process he just loves hockey. And I think there’s no better market than Minnesota to be a hockey player. I believe in our team and our culture and our organization and our market, our fans, our – I mean, hockey’s in the fabric here, and I think he’ll really like it.
“I’m very proud. Look, I love Minnesota. Our players love Minnesota. This is a great place to play. …You can live in these great places, or make a little more money, but if the hockey is not good, you won’t be happy. So that’s what really matters. If the hockey is good, if your job is good, you will be happy. And I think he’ll be really happy.”
